Nintendo’s restriction on overseas credit cards lauded in Japan as possible anti-scalping measure ahead of Switch 2 launch

Last week, Nintendo announced that the Japanese My Nintendo Store and eShop will stop accepting payment via overseas-issued credit cards and foreign PayPal accounts staring March 25. 

This came as bad news for many gamers outside of Japan who rely on the Japanese store to buy games unavailable in their regions – or any games, if their country (like Taiwan) doesn’t have its own store. On the other hand, Nintendo’s decision has been met with a fair deal of approval from users and media in Japan, as people see it as a possible measure to curb scalping of the Nintendo Switch 2. 

Nintendo did not go into detail about the new restrictions, only stating that they are meant to “prevent fraudulent use.” However, with the Japanese yen still so weak against other currencies, chances of the Switch 2 being priced regionally to account for the difference are high, so “it’s easy to imagine that some consumers from overseas will consider making their purchase in Japan,” Kai-You reports. 

During Nintendo’s 84th annual shareholders meeting (held in June 2024), Nintendo’s CEO Shuntaro Furukawa mentioned that the company would be “taking into account circumstances in each region and considering what measures [against scalping] can be taken within the limits permitted by law.” 

Given these circumstances (and the approaching release of the Nintendo Switch 2), Japanese users believe that by blocking payment from overseas, Nintendo is trying to prevent scalpers from abroad (China, for example) from comparing prices and importing hardware meant for the Japanese market. 

On the other hand, there is another potential explanation for why Nintendo is blocking overseas cards and PayPal accounts on its Japanese digital storefronts, and it’s unrelated to consoles and scalping. By the end of March 2025, The Japanese government will require all businesses to implement 3D Secure 2.0 (a personal authentication system to prevent fraud) on their ecommerce sites. This will be mandatory for all credit card payments, but, according to ITmedia, it is anticipated that foreign-issued credits cards will be difficult to handle with this new system, so it’s possible that Nintendo is preemptively discontinuing their use to deal with the requirement.  

There’s no way to know what Nintendo’s actual objective is, but those affected by the new restrictions can consider using pre-paid Nintendo eShop cards as an alternative.